Fund for the Arts Campaign Exceeds $9 Million Goal

Louisville’s Fund for the Arts announced Tuesday it exceeded its $9 million fundraising goal for its current fundraising campaign, which ends this month. The total exceeds last year’s campaign by $1 million.

The majority of the money will help subsidize the Fund’s 15 member arts groups — including the Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kentucky Opera, the Louisville Ballet and the Louisville Orchestra.

The announcement comes in a year when state and city funding for the arts has been cut. That reality was not lost on the Fund for the Arts CEO, Allan Cowen.

“The private sector support this year about offset all the losses and constrictions that we had from other sources,” he says. “So, while this is a tremendous accomplishment, it mostly offsets the problems.”

Cowen says the Fund raised more money through employee giving at participating workplaces and challenged donors who had previously given large amounts to increase their contributions.

Louisville’s Fund for the Arts reports that more than 27,000 people from the community gave.

Phil McHugh is President and CEO of Fifth Third Bank and led the Fund for the Arts’ current campaign.

“We had a tremendous increase this year in a very, very difficult economy,” McHugh says. “And we believe we’ve laid tremendous groundwork and we’re very optimistic that we’ll be able to move the ball forward again next year.”

Next month, the Fund for the Arts will kick off its next annual campaign — this time with a $10 million goal.